Yoma
by The Exploding Cigar
Summary: A visit from a ghost of her past brings back so many memories for Rani. It wasn't what she was hoping for. In fact, this was the day she had dreaded for years. Better put a good smile on. Lu TenxOC Please review


The sun was falling lower and lower in the sky and the air had yet to begin cooling. Sweat beads gathered on the back of my neck. Knots twisted tight into my lower back. The day was late and I was tired. My brother had already gone home; his wife was hung-up on punctuality so he made a point of getting home in time to help with dinner. I, on the other hand, kind of liked annoying her. Alone time was always appreciated, too, in a life where it was like a precious mineral that must be treasured.

I didn't get my alone time, though.

I looked up from my hoe, buried in the dirt for a moment and that moment was my lifetime. My life. In a flash, a second, I saw the one scene which could sum up my life.

The Eastern breeze was coming in off the sea and cooled down the morning. The air tasted like salt and wheat flower. I stretched out my legs and let the high blades of grass tickle my skin, let the sun warm my face, let the clouds take me away.

Shun called my name over the winds. His voice carried like an echo from some far away place, but when I sat up he was only in the fields. I hadn't drifted to another land. I had only drifted into a day dream. I followed one of my brother's famously wordless gestures and squinted against the sun to see what he saw.

We had visitors. A group of no more than four – rather bulky – men were coming up our hill and making their way toward our house. The closer they came, the more easily I saw that they were soldiers.

It wasn't entirely uncommon for soldiers to come to our port, but it was rare for them to leave their ships for more than food. They had never come so far before. My family's fields were in the back of the village; the farthest away from the shore. What would a bunch of blood-hungry, sword-happy dogs of the war want up here?

"Good morning." Shun called down to the men. "What can we do for you, gentlemen?"

One of them raised his arm over his head to wave to us. He hollered back to my brother and I. "Hello! Sorry for the intrusion, we were just taking a walk. We'll try not to disturb your work."

That pissed me off. Who did he think he was that he could just meander along through any one's property he wanted? What made him think he wasn't disturbing our work already? This guy was arrogant and he needed someone to put him in his place. I was just the girl for the job.

I ran through the field, darting as quickly as I could, my arms up, fingers spread to push stalks of wheat out of my way. My feet barely touched the ground. Like some sort of furious bird, I was flying across the earth. For their sake, I hoped those men had just come from the warfront because they were going to see some serious rage. And then I stopped, my feet stirring dust into the heated air, almost tumbling into the path the soldiers were walking.

"Hey, do you brainiacs think anything through, at all?" I demanded in my best attempt to sound mature. "This is a farming town. We're in the middle of the harvest season and you think that wandering through our lands doesn't distract from our work? Where do you think all the food that gets delivered to feed all of you warmongers comes from? It doesn't pop out of thin air! We make it little villages like ours make it, but you can't even show the slightest respect for our peace, can you?"  
Shun yelled across the wheat to me – a plead for my silence. "Rani, get back here!"  
I didn't give him even a fraction of a second. "Why would you even come here? What are we not doing enough for our country? Have you come to stake out the last bit of prosperity for your taxes?"  
"Well…actually, we're here for repairs."

That same arrogant voice that had drawn me out smiled with one brow arched spurringly. Spurring me to hit him and not stop hitting until I was sure no one would ever recognize that haughty face of his.

"So what? Ships come in our port all of the time and no one ever bothers us up here. Go back to the docks and leave us alone." I barked.  
One of the other men stepped forward. "You can't talk to the colonel like that!" apparently he wasn't ready to show some guts until my wrath had started to dissolve.  
His commander waved him off laughing. "It's alright, really. Miss, I am truly sorry that I've disturbed you. I hope you wouldn't think so badly of our army – this is my fault, after all. I get restless on ships after a while and I just wanted to take a walk and look around for a while."

He bowed with something of a formal elegance and smiled at me again. I scowled at him, my arms crossed tight over my chest and foot tapping on the dirt. "You're not really sorry, are you?"  
"Nope." He laughed. "Not after I got such a great show out of it."

I lost it then; any attempt at maturity or femininity or sophistication I had thought I was holding went out the window. I groaned and stomped and slapped my forehead to keep myself from slapping him. Eventually I marched, screeching, to the house where I knew I'd be rid of war dogs who couldn't keep their mouths shut. He was infuriating!

Against the sun, the old man's frame was just a silhouette, but I knew him. I would know him anywhere. I'd been waiting so long; I almost thought it was my imagination. If that were it, though, it wouldn't be him.


End file.
